


Training Day

by greyone01



Series: The Book of DameRey [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Black Squadron - Freeform, DameRey, F/M, JediPilot, Post-TLJ, Sparring, damerey connection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 02:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16254821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyone01/pseuds/greyone01
Summary: Rey is convinced that the only way she will be able to come out alive from her inevitable face-off with the First Order's Supreme Leader is to be a faster and stronger fighter. But when sparring with Rey becomes a health hazard for her friends, Poe Dameron steps up and becomes an unlikely mentor.





	Training Day

**Author's Note:**

> For all her talent and skills, I think Rey does need someone to guide her as she integrates herself in the world of the Resistance and the First Order, and in society in general. A favorite headcannon of mine is Poe providing her that guidance, being someone to watch over her.

“Don’t hold back!” Rey yelled as Finn dodged another swing of her staff. He was nearly successful, but just as he was recovering his footing, Rey quickly swung back. He fell with an “oof” as the staff hit him squarely on the side.

“On your feet, Finn,” Rey ordered, circling around him. “And I said don’t hold back!” She raised the staff and swung back at him, Finn feeling the staff whizz by his side as he managed to roll out of the way.

“Jeez, Rey,” he wheezed, scrambling to his feet. “You don’t have to hit so hard!” He raised both hands in surrender. “I’m done!”

Rey stopped and looked at him angrily. “I thought you wanted to help me?!” 

“I do, but I had no idea I was signing my own death sentence when I did!” Finn retorted, wincing as he gingerly touched his side. “This is just practice, Rey, it’s not the real thing!”

“I need you to push me! I don’t want you to hold back!” Rey exclaimed in frustration. “How am I supposed to be ready for the real thing if you keep holding back?” She whirled, facing the others who had gone before Finn. “All of you! You don’t have to treat me like I’m some breakable piece of shit, I can take your kicks, your punches, your tackles!”

Finn looked at the group seated on the floor. Jessica Pava was giving Rey an evil eye, her lip no longer bleeding but looking very swollen from when her face came into contact with the floor when she tumbled after Rey swiped her off her feet with her staff. Poe Dameron had a blood-soaked towel to his nose as he tried to stop the nosebleed from a head butt from Rey. Snap Wexley had an ice pack on his knee, and his wife Kare had an ice pack on her elbow. They looked like a sorry group, thanks to a very angry Rey demanding that they fight her will all they’ve got.

“So we’re not tough enough for you, is that it?” Jess stood up. “Why don’t you just get Chewbacca to spar with you then?” She offered a hand to Finn. “Come on, let’s get you to med bay, before those ribs she broke puncture your lung.”

“I think I’ll need Kalonia to put back my elbow,” Kare remarked, following Jess and Finn. “Do you need that knee looked at?” she asked her husband.

Snap shook his head. “Nah, I think I just need to ice and rest it a bit. You go ahead. I’ll make sure Dameron here doesn’t bleed his brains out.”

“Very funny, I’ve got the bleeding under control,” Poe said, removing the towel from his nose. Looking at Rey, who was obviously still steaming as she watched the others leave, he pointed to floor. “You. Sit.”

“So now you’re going to lecture me?” Rey huffed, but moved to sit on the floor in front of the two pilots.

“If that will make you see the errors of your ways, then yes,” Poe said sternly. He briefly glanced at Snap, who nodded. Giving Rey a sermon was the last thing he wanted to do, but he was getting concerned with how violent the sparring had become. He knew his squadron mates weren’t holding back, and Finn was a tough fighter, possibly tougher than any of them, but Rey was…she was just feral.

Rey crossed her arms. “So enlighten me, Commander. Tell me about these errors.”

“You wanna start, Wexley?” Poe asked the man beside him, but kept his eyes on Rey. 

Snap shook his head. “No, I’m just here to make sure your brain’s still in there. Besides, I don’t know how closely you could’ve watched with that towel in your face.” He adjusted the ice pack on his knee. “And I don’t have a death wish.”

Poe nearly snorted, but caught himself just in time. He wouldn’t cut a very authoritative figure if his nose started bleeding again from a snort. While he knew it was quite clear to Rey how the chain of command worked, her being the lone Jedi in their group gave her a special distinction of her own – technically, their ranks do not make them her superiors. Still, Poe knew Rey looked up to them, more due to their experience rather than their ranks. Besides, this wouldn’t the first time he’s had to explain something to her – while she often stayed silent during meetings, he’d been her go-to guy whenever she wanted to understand things better.

But explaining how things were was quite different with giving what he believes to be constructive criticism to her manner of fighting – when she’s worked up like this. Rey looked just about ready to bite each of their heads off a few moments ago, and he might just find his on a platter if this doesn’t go well.

“Well, Commander?” Rey raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. He knew she was still angry if she was still referring to him with his rank. “Are you going to talk or are you just going to make me sit here?”

Poe took a deep breath. “You need to control your emotions better as you fight.”

“That's rich, coming from you.”

Snap snorted beside Poe. “Sorry, man,” he said, not sounding a bit sorry at all. “But I have to agree with her on that one.”

Poe glared at him before turning back to Rey. “Whenever you score a hit that seemed too easy, you start doubting yourself. And then that builds up with every hit. Until you get frustrated and angry. Then you begin your barrage of attacks.”

“And how is that wrong?” Rey frowned angrily. 

“You get distracted. You get caught up in your emotions and fail to think. You lose calm and it’s harder to follow your instinct if you’re not calm,” Poe paused and sighed. “Believe me, if there’s one person who can tell you how bad it can get when you let anger and frustration dictate your actions, that’s me.”

Snap clapped him on the back. “You’re right on that last one, buddy,” he agreed. “Rey, I hate to admit it, but I think he’s onto something here. Fighting like this is not that different from fighting in the air. He may not have the coolest head on the ground, but I’ve flown with this guy long enough to know that he’s the coolest of all of us during dog fights, and that’s probably why he’s the best of us. How he does that under fire, I don’t know.” He got up, using Poe’s shoulder to prop himself up. “Maybe you can get him to tell you,” he winked at Rey. “I think I might go to med bay after all, gonna get something for the pain.”

“Sorry about the knee,” Rey called as Snap hobbled away. Snap raised a hand to wave her apology off, reassuring her all’s forgiven.

They sat in silence after the door shut behind Snap. Poe continued to regard Rey quietly, while she silently stared on a spot on the floor between them. When she finally looked up, he was alarmed when he saw that her eyes were starting to brim with tears. He was expecting biting retorts from Rey, but not tears. Gods, he would deal with snarkiness anytime over tears.

Of course Snap probably knew this was coming, and he made his escape just before the girl cried. Poe silently cursed his friend, who obviously could read women better. He suddenly wished for his nose to start bleeding again, to give him something to focus on other than the girl who was looking very much like she was about to burst in tears. He cleared his throat, and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, I probably should’ve handled that better.”

Rey shook her head and scooted over to settle on the space vacated by Snap. She laid a hand on his forearm. “No, don’t be. I needed to hear that,” she said, her tone weary, but without any trace of anger now. “Thank you.”

Poe turned to her and, without thinking about it, covered the hand she rested on his forearm with his other hand. She kept taking deep breaths, seemingly trying to stop the tears from spilling from her eyes. “You’re right, Poe,” she admitted. “It's just that...I hate it when you all hold back when sparring with me, because how am I going to ever be good enough to best him if you all treat me delicately?”

“Treat you delicately?” Poe said in disbelief. “Rey, I was holding you so tight you’ll probably get bruises tomorrow. And I’m pretty sure that’s not all the bruises you’ll get. Finn and Jess got some hits on you too, and Kare did manage to get you down on your ass before you dislocated her elbow. No one was holding back. You really are a skilled fighter, but you keep doubting yourself.”

“Look, Rey,” he continued, dead serious. “Sparring – like this, won’t be much of a help improving your skills as a fighter if you end up sustaining injuries that might in the long run make you weaker instead of stronger. What we need to learn from sparring is how to read the other guy, and how to fight smartly. You won’t win just on brute strength and fancy footwork, especially if your enemy is bigger than you, and most of the time they are.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “You already have that – strength and grace. Now you just need to have a good handle on your emotions and learn how to stay calm under pressure.”

“Anger, guilt, frustration – if there’s anything I’ve learned in all my years in the military, these are more dangerous than any other enemy, human or otherwise. Giving in to these is the fastest way to self-destruction, and that’s the easiest way for your enemy to win.” He paused to let his words sink in. “Rey, I had to learn about this the hard and costly way. I’m telling you this now because I hope you never have to go through that, that maybe you could learn from my mistakes.”

Rey smiled at him gratefully, seeing why many looked to this man for leadership. Sure, his advice was unsolicited, but she was glad he took the chance to give her guidance. “So, what do you think I should do now?”

Poe regarded her carefully, as if trying to assess just how much farther to take this. “You need to know more about your enemy,” he finally said. “Let’s start with the First Order, you probably don’t know a lot about them, do you?”

Rey shook her head. “I never really found any reason to concern myself about them before all of this.”

“Finn will be the best person to tell you about the First Order, for obvious reasons,” Poe pointed out. “I think he’ll be happy to acquaint you with the organization he grew up in, and maybe I’ll join you guys as well. It’ll be good to get some first-hand information.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Rey nodded. She realized she still had her hand on his arm, and that he was still covering it with his. She gave his arm a grateful squeeze, wanting him to know she appreciated how he slipped into a mentoring role just when she needed him to be. He’s been mostly a supportive friend, but right now, she needed guidance and she was glad he was there readily providing it. Mischievously, she added, “Then maybe we can get you to tell us what Snap was talking about.”

“Oh, that,” Poe smirked, relieved that she hasn't actually broken down in tears or chopped his head off. “I’m afraid there’s no secret, sweetheart. It’s just something that comes naturally to me when I fly.”

Rey rolled her eyes and slipped her hand from his – to give him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Right, for a while there I forgot I was talking to the best pilot in the galaxy.”

Poe pretended to shy away from her punch. “Hey, weren’t we just talking about less hitting and being calmer?”

“So how do you stay calm?”

Poe shrugged. “That’s the truth, Rey. I simply feel calm when flying. Then I just dig deep and let my instincts take over.”

“Maybe you are Force-sensitive, Poe,” Rey remarked, eyebrow raised, half-serious. “That sounded like feeling the Force and drawing from it.”

“Don’t think so,” he shook his head. “I guess that’s something we have to work on – figure out how to get you calm during high-pressure situations.”

“Sounds good.” For some reason, she really liked the idea of him helping her with this. She felt better knowing she'll have him to work with. As much as she hated to admit it, Kylo Ren was right about her needing a teacher. With Luke gone, and Leia almost single-handedly running the Resistance, she was thankful Poe stepped up to take her under his wing. He may not be Force-sensitive, but he certainly has been in this fight long enough and has proven himself to be not just the best pilot, but one of the best Resistance fighters as well. She also felt comfortable with him, she trusted him. With Poe, she felt like she doesn’t have to hold anything back, and she knew he will be pragmatic about this.

“You’re Force-sensitive,” Poe reminded her. “I’m not, but I’ve been around Force-sensitive people long enough to know that you can draw from the Force much better if you are calm. He knows that too, remember, he’s Force-sensitive as well.”

“And he’s proper training with the Force,” Rey said bleakly. “How am I going to top that? Why am I even thinking that I stand a chance against him?”

“Because believing that you can is the first step in defeating him,” Poe said. “Sometimes, we just have to believe in that slim chance, despite the odds.” He looked at her square in the eyes. “You gotta keep believing. You may not have the training he had, but you are stronger in the Force than him – you nearly beat him back in Starkiller Base and that was only within days of finding out about the Force.”

“I had Finn and Chewie helping me then,” Rey pointed out. 

“And they’re still around to help you again,” Poe replied. “Plus you also have us now. I’m pretty sure Black Squadron will still cover your back despite beating them black and blue today.”

“I need to apologize to everyone,” Rey groaned. “I really handled today badly.”

Poe simply nodded. He could see that while Rey was calmer already, she was still very much doubting herself. He decided to back off now, and vowed silently to somehow find a way to make her see just how strong and capable she really was. But not today. Today it was enough that she realized what she needed to work on, and that he’d be there to help her.

“How’s your nose?” she asked, tentatively reaching up to check the bridge of his nose, which was now starting to swell. He let her examine it gently, trying to ignore the sudden shivers that went down his spine with her touch. “I’m sorry Poe, I may have ended your career as the poster boy of the Resistance.”

Poe rolled his eyes, relieved that she seemed to be back to her old self again. “That wasn’t what I signed up for anyway.”

She got up and offered a hand to him. “Come on, let’s get this looked at by the doctor.”

“I’m fine, Rey,” Poe shook his head. “No doctors.” He took her hand anyway and allowed her to pull him to his feet, and he found himself standing quite close to her. She didn’t step back.

“Okay,” Rey nodded, letting go of his hand and reaching up again to gingerly touch the bridge of his nose. “Does it hurt here?”

“Yeah, but just a little,” he replied, her touch making his voice huskier than usual. His heart started beating faster as she tiptoed and kissed him where it hurt. 

“Thank you Poe,” she said shyly, laying a hand on his chest. “Thank you for putting up with me, and for telling me what I needed to hear.”

It took all his will power not to pull her close and kiss her. They’ve become good friends, he knew that, and she knew that, but he also knew that there were moments like this when they seem to be just a step away from moving onto something deeper. Then again, he had no idea if she feels the same, and he doesn’t want to risk ruining their friendship by overstepping. But when she looks at him like that, with her gaze flicking to his lips, it just got so much harder.

“Your nose is bleeding.”

“Sorry, what?”

Rey stepped away from him to grab the towel he discarded earlier. Stepping closer again, she held the towel to his nose. “Your nose is bleeding again.”

“Kriff,” Poe said, reaching up to take the towel from her. “Guess I’ll have to take that trip to med bay after all.”

“I was going to ask you to come with me to med bay anyway. I need to say sorry to everyone,” she said, reaching out to put his free arm around her shoulder. Poe knew there was no need for that, he could walk fine without her support, but he certainly didn’t mind walking with her like this, except maybe minus the towel he held over his nose. She gave him a small smile, keeping hold of his hand where it draped over her shoulder. “I’d like it if you’re there with me.”

“Sure,” Poe replied, squeezing her hand. He briefly took the towel from his nose, but it was still bleeding. “You really got me good today, Jedi.”

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself, Commander,” Rey replied. “You actually managed to save Finn and your squadron from future sparring injuries from me.”

Poe chuckled. “Just making sure everyone under my command is okay.”

“And now, let’s make sure you are okay, flyboy,” Rey said, putting her arm around the back of his waist and nudging him gently to start walking. “Come on, walk with me.”

As they began walking together, his arm over her shoulder and hers on his lower back, Poe knew right then and there that there was nothing she can ask that he would not give her. She may not know it yet, but Poe knew he was a goner -- he will follow her to the ends of the galaxy if she asks him to.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a few more ideas in my head for this story, do you think I should continue?


End file.
